Unraveling
by silvi-hc
Summary: Things are unraveling around Aaron.


**Title:** Unraveling  
**Author: **Silvi Henna  
**Fandom:** the Covenant/Sky High  
**Genre:** Pathos  
**Rating:** FRC  
**Pairing: **Aaron Abbot/Warren Piece 

**AN:** Betaed by deniedheaven.

The sound of the water was soothing. He had missed it and Aaron knew he had no one to blame but himself. Too much had happened that had stolen away his ability to just enjoy the moment.

He took a deep breath, letting the smell of the ocean fill his lungs. There was something special about the smell that had always been able to calm him. He guessed it was due to have been born so close to the water, but really, he didn't care. The purpose of him coming here was working and that was all that mattered.

He needed this time and as he stood by the edge of the docks, watching the boats float in the water, already tucked in for the night, he forced himself to unwind.

The breeze ruffled his loose hair, seemingly caressing his face, and he closed his eyes, tipping his head back to enjoy it. The sounds of the night around him was deceptively lulling, hiding the ugliness he had learned existed.

Opening his eyes, he took in the scene in front of him. The sun hadn't been down long and the lavender near the edge between heaven and earth was clear proof of that.

He wished he could take the day back, hell, that he could take back the whole week. Then perhaps he could avoid what he knows will happen, once he caught up with him. He knew he had been stupid, but the fault didn't lie solely at his feet. He doubted, though, that the other will see that, his volatile temper a well known fact by now.

Could things be salvaged? He hoped so. He fervently hoped so.

The sound of footsteps behind him made him tense up, an ache beginning at the base of his skull and he had a pretty good idea of what he would see if he turned around. He continued to stare out over the water, knowing that he was being watched and he knew that this pretense he was keeping up wasn't going to hold for much longer.

Deciding to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, he turned around, wanting to cross his arms across of his chest. Forcing them to stay relaxed next to his sides was an effort but one he was damned well going to make.

He was where Aaron had expected him to be. And he wasn't surprised to see the anger twist that familiar face. Swallowing nervously, he waited. But the other remained quiet.

It gave him time to look him over. In spite of what other thought, he could see the differences that separated the two men. They may have an eerily alike face but the men were so far different, that once you got to know them both, there could really be no mistaking of who was who.

Things had blown up so spectacularly this last week that Aaron was surprised to see that he was still standing. He wished that he could be self-righteous about it all, but the thing was, some of the things the Sons of Ipswich had said held a grain of truth, at least in the beginning if not now. He doubted that the dark teen in front of him would care about that, though. It didn't help that some of the shit in his own life had started to surface in Ipswich. Aaron had bruises to prove that.

As the silence stretched on, Aaron knew that he needed to be the one to break the silence, the fact that the silence was wrecking havoc with his nerves playing a big part of why he decided to say something.

Looking at those dark, rage-filled eyes, his heart started to sink.

"Come to kick me to the curb, too?"

He had to blink at the growl that the other emitted. That was one impressive sound. "Kick you? I'm not the one that has fucking lied. Used you as a fucking substitute!" His fists were clenched so tightly at his sides that Aaron thought he was going to burst. A real possibility, considering that fire was his thing.

"I didn't use you!"

"Bullshit! I've seen enough to know the truth," he spat out, stalking forward. As the other's face was shoved close to his, Aaron couldn't take a step back as he would have fallen into the water.

"Warren-"

Warren shook his head and grabbed a hold of the collar on Aaron's jacket, making Aaron flinch as he felt the heat radiating from the exposed skin on Warren's hands. Knowing that if Warren lost control, he could get seriously hurt.

"Don't." Bringing their faces within an inch of each other, he growled into Aaron's face, "You know what I hate the most in this world? To be used. To be played. I have had enough of that in my life to last for eons. I am no one's substitute!"

"I didn't use you!"

"No? You can't deny the fact that I look like him. I could have been his fucking clone as far as you knew. Let me clue you in on something…I'm not him."

"Oh believe me…" Aaron grabbed a hold of Warren's wrist and wrenched himself loose from the tight grip, flinching as the heat seared his palms, "I know that. I've known that from the start. But guess what?"

Aaron was now the one stalking Warren, forcing the bigger boy to back down. "It's you I got together with. It's you that-" quieting momentarily as he forced himself to get control over his emotions, he shook his head, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. Otherwise, he was going to succumb to the urge of punching Warren's face in, not that that would have caused any damage. The other boy had proven pretty resilient. "You think it was easy? Being ridiculed by everyone because they thought what ever they fucking wanted?!"

Warren narrowed his eyes but before he could say anything, Aaron screamed, "Well it FUCKING wasn't!"

There was silence after Aaron's outburst, except for the heavy breathing Aaron did. Looking at Warren, Aaron had a sudden insight.

"You are going to let them win, aren't you?"

"They aren't wrong." Warren said, stepping back, putting space between them. The anger in his eyes had lessened somewhat.

"They aren't right, either."

"This isn't only about Caleb, Aaron."

"No? You could have fooled me." A movement behind Warren made Aaron see the fuckers that had started this whole mess. Warren's friends. He had to give it to them, they hadn't had to do a lot for this whole thing to blow up in their faces and also they hadn't intended things to go as far south as they did.

But they couldn't escape the fact that they didn't like him. And frankly, Aaron couldn't care less about whether they like him or not, but it was destroying one of the very few things in his life that was worth anything.

He wished they had never come here. So what if they needed fire-boy? So did he.

Warren, seeing Aaron's attention drift behind him, turned around and saw Layla standing at the edge of one of the warehouses that populated the docks, under a lamp. She was watching them, concern written over her face. Beyond her, the others were standing their faces blank.

Aaron didn't need Warren to say anything. By the time Warren turned back to him, he knew deep within his bones that he was leaving. Made him wonder what the heck this confrontation was about. Unless it was to clear Warren's conscience.

It made him grimace. Turning his ice cold eyes towards Warren, he glared at him. A little bump and he was running away… he had heard enough of his life that he should have expected this.

"Do you ever fight for things that really matter?"

Warren's eyes widened slightly, before his face turned cold and closed off, making Aaron tense up, a guarded look coming into his grey eyes.

Warren seemed to have made a decision, if the expression in his eyes that Aaron caught momentarily was anything to go by, and he knew he wasn't going to like it.

"What makes you think you matter?"

Aaron blinked at the glacier tone, never having heard Warren use it before. It felt like he had been sucker punched and he inhaled sharply, helplessly staring as Warren turned around and began to walk towards the girl that was waiting.

The sound of a bitter laugh from behind wrapped around Warren and he didn't need to look over his shoulder to know that Aaron was shaking his head. The sound was foreign coming from the other boy. He has seen Aaron rant, laugh, rage, be petulant and even on occasion, if far and very few between, to have counted to be vulnerable, but never defeated.

Hell, their first meeting had been explosive, to say the least. That what had attracted him in the first place. He had to force himself to continue walking, to not turn around and fuck the plan.

For the first time, he was going to see it through. Aaron was worth it.

Aaron couldn't believe it. He was watching Warren's retreating figure and he still couldn't believe it.

"I guess I don't." He had to close his eyes as they began to burn, his lips thinning as they pressed together. Taking a deep breath hurt. His chest felt too tight. Turning around, shoving his hands deep in his pockets, Aaron shuffled away in the opposite direction. Heading to the only place he had left, he needed to see a friendly face and so missed Warren tensing up at his words.

Aaron mentally snorted at himself. To think, he had thought things could have been different this time.

The end?


End file.
